Yeah. But there is hope because not all of them suck human blood like ticks and vampires.

Check out these leech pictures. Leech bite images and pics will help you understand this leeche creature who can upset your holiday swim.

She has leeches attached to her back.

His foot shows just how bad a mega leech can bite and suck, suck, suck, your blood...even after they are no longer on you. Yes... the attack of the giant leeches...real time.

All throughout history, for thousands of years, leeches were used for medical purposes.

But that is not a comforting feeling when you get out of the water and find a bunch of them hanging on your skin just about anywhere they decided to attach to you.

So what are the leeches?

There are many types of leeches who are found in the water both fresh and salt and on land just like maggots...the usually brown or black leeches are everywhere, hiding under rocks and lake bottoms for example.

Some leeches feed on blood on humans, other animals and fish, and some feed on other small things like worms and insect larvae.

Scientifically leeches are known as annelids, annelida, or annelid, akin to the segmented worm species.

WHAT DO LEECHES EAT?

You. The leeching life cycle plan is to hang on to you until they are full, and then the leach blood bloated fall off to relax and digest your blood. This means leeches are predators.

Because they use a anticoagulant during feeding, you can bleed for up to several hours after they fall or are picked off.

And if they attach inside your nose or inside the vaginal area, find a doctor quickly.

HOW TO REMOVE LEECHES: Removing leeches is done in many ways like with a flame, or alcohol, or salt, soap, or lemon juice or just pulling them off.

However the best way according to the leech experts is to slide your fingernail under the front and then the tail to gently cause the leech to break the suction and remove its teeth from your skin. This method reduces the risk of bad infection substantially.

PREVENTION:

Sorry, but there is not much you can do that works well.

If a leech infestation is present, that is you trespass into leech habitat, a leech or two or three will likely find you. There are no leech traps or leech nets that we are aware of.

The best method...is to look for them crawling on you looking for the sweet spot...and pick them off with your fingernail and stomp, squash, or whatever to kill them.

Baking soda, insect sprays or powders, tobacco, and bath soap are natural organic remedies...often used but without proven effectiveness we are told.

Just for fun, read these other uses for leeches.

WEATHER FORECASTING:

Would you believe that leeches were used to forecast the weather. They were placed in a instrument like a barometer and supposedly when a storm was coming, they would try to climb out and a bell would ring. Not to good a forecaster I guess, as we have never seen one on the shelves at Walmart.

BLOODLETTING or Leach Therapy:

Leeches in medicine were used for thousands of years as a recommended medical procedure, with active bloodletting or bloodsucking by medicinal leeches used to remove large quantities of blood. This was not really good medical practice as it was usually fatal for the ill patient or caused mental difficulties due to brain blood loss...if one survived.

If you want to learn more about this barbaric practice of live leeches medicine (still found today), search the internet and you will be fascinated by the horrific stories as well as the leech videos on U tube.

FISHING BAIT or Leeches Bait:

Leeches are good live bait to catch that trophy fish you have long sought after.

For the complete list of pests with pictures, and solutions, on this 500 page website, please click the A to Z link.